We all know that feeling. It starts as a fluttering in the stomach and works it's way up to a pounding heart. You might find it's hard to concentrate and breathe. You'd do anything to escape the situation. Anxiety has hit again.
Anxiety is a natural, and much needed state, particularly when one is under high-stress scenarios, like hiding from an attacker or confronting a boss. In those situations anxiety helps us protect ourselves and prepare for difficult situations. However, when stress and anxiety become chronic and get in the way of everyday life and the overall ability to function, it could signify a more severe illness such as generalized anxiety disorder.
What Happens to Your Body During Chronic Anxiety?
Let’s rewind about 50,000 years. Picture yourself as a stone-age person out for a walk in the woods. An unexpected tiger's roar comes from just over your shoulder. Your heart rate increases, you breathe faster, your pupils get bigger, and your body starts to make and pump adrenaline throughout your body. The whole body begins to respond in less than a millisecond - and you run as fast as your legs will carry you.
All of these changes inside of you are positive, as they will work to keep you safe in the face of danger. There is, however, one caveat in modern times. There is (usually) no tiger. Your adrenaline is pumping, your pulse is racing, and you are ready to fight or flee; the reaction your body is producing is disproportionate to the actual threat
In the United States, about 40 million people have anxiety, making it the most common mental health disorder. It often seems like the modern human race is nothing more than a bunch of anxious Neanderthals permanently stuck in the "fight or flight" response. The tiger in the woods has been replaced by everyday stresses like social media, bad bosses, traffic, inflation, high living costs, COVID-19, addictions, parenting, climate change, layoffs, and family drama.
Anxiety and the Nervous System
Chronic anxiety can make the body weak and confused, sometimes leading to panic attacks. The brain is the organ that first reacts to stressful situations. The amygdala, a part of the brain that helps with emotional processing, receives information from the eyes or ears (or both) when a person faces an impending danger. The amygdala has no ability to determine if the perceived threat is a tiger, or simply running into an ex-boyfriend in the hall, so it kicks into gear and sends outa threat signal.
The amygdala immediately alerts the hypothalamus. This part of the brain acts as a control center, sending signals across the nervous system so that a person may prepare to either fight or flee. These signals then create many of the signs of anxiety that we have come to know so well like a racing heart, sweating, and an upset stomach. But the whole range of anxiety symptoms might differ from one person to the next. Common physical signs to look out for include:
● Nausea
● Lethargy
● Headache
● Breathing problems like hyperventilation
● A decline in sex drive
● Hypertension (high blood pressure).
● Muscle aches and pains
● Dry mouth
● Rapidly beating heart
● Lightheadedness
The Long-term Effects Anxiety Has on the Body
When the brain senses danger, it releases two stress hormones into the bloodstream and nervous system. These are adrenaline and cortisol. Adrenaline and cortisol are stress hormones that can overburden the body if they are constantly released.
Even though adrenaline is needed to stay alert, the body sometimes produces it when worried but not in any real danger. Some of the signs are blurred or distorted vision and a feeling of being dizzy or lightheaded. Extremely high amounts of the hormone caused by anxiety without any actual risk may harm the heart, make it difficult to sleep and make you feel tense and nervous.
Also, adrenaline promotes glucose release (which a fight-or-flight reaction would need). When there is no immediate danger, this heightened alertness is wasted, making people irritable and restless.
Even though they are less common, some medical problems can occur when the body makes too much stress hormones. High stress can lead to high blood pressure, heart disease, obesity and diabetes.
Mind-body Treatment of Anxiety
By focusing on the relationship between the mind and the body, mind-body therapies aim to improve health from the inside out. Mind-body medicine is based on the idea that the best way to get well is to use the healing energy already inside us.
Benefits of Mind-Body Treatments
In general, how you are mentally and emotionally can significantly impact how you feel physically. They often play a crucial part in how we experience upsetting feelings like anxiety. We can't stress mind-body treatments enough concerning lowering the risk of getting conditions like anxiety, depression, heart attack, stroke, etc.
The philosophy of mind-body care takes into account not only the physical, cognitive, psychological, spiritual, social, and behavioral effects that an illness might have on a person's health but also the complicated relationships that exist between the brain, the psyche, the body, and one's behavior. It's a straightforward method that nudges you toward paying attention to yourself and taking care of yourself.
People with chronic pain, digestive problems, high blood pressure, or high cholesterol levels, or who want to boost their immune system or sleep better may also find that treating the mind and the body helps relieve their symptoms. For example, yoga movements are great for improving the way your bowels work and ensuring digestion works to its fullest.
Common mind-body techniques
For any mind-body practice to work, the mind must first be "trained" to ignore outside stimuli and focus only on the body. A person's health may benefit from being in a state of "focused attention." Standard mind-body techniques to help alleviate anxiety include:
Biofeedback therapy
Biofeedback teaches people how to control their automatic bodily processes, such as heart rate and blood pressure. These are all frequent struggles for people who suffer from anxiety. You will see these processes unfold in real time as they are measured and shown on a screen in front of you. This screen allows you to take control over your body's so-called "involuntary" functions, such as managing your anxiety symptoms. With the help of this monitor, you may learn more about the inner workings of your body.
Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT)
The goal of cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) is first to figure out unhelpful anxiety loops and then try to break those loops. This treatment improves your mood by transforming your negative thought patterns or replacing them with good ones and, as a result, lessens the amount of stress you feel.
Physical activity
People can keep stress and anxiety from building up by doing physical activities regularly. These activities can take many forms. During therapy, physical activities are meant to help people feel calm by using deliberate movements, deep breathing, and focus. For example, going for a brisk walk right after feeling stressed might help you breathe more deeply and loosen up your muscles.
Relaxation techniques
A relaxation technique is any method, process, procedure, or action that helps a person calm down, feel more peaceful, or feel less pain, anxiety, tension, or anger.
Many different methods exist for calming the mind and body:
● Acupuncture
● Progressive muscle relaxation
● Tai Chi
● Meditation
● Yoga
● Hypnosis
● Spirituality
When Should You Get Help?
Talk to your doctor if you aren't sure if anxiety is to blame or if you have tried to manage your anxiety but are still having symptoms. See a specialist to make sure there aren't any underlying health problems. If you have ruled out other underlying medical diagnoses, it might be time to make an appointment with a licensed therapist to help you figure out what is causing your anxiety and to teach you how to deal with it in a more healthy way.
At Elevate Counseling we are always here to help you work through anxiety so that you can live a healthier, and happier life.